Its 4am and I am fast asleep and dreaming of monster Norwegian Cod when I am disturbed from slumber. I hear a faint voice from somewhere. As my body awakens I realise it is my partner Jax who has awoken me and I mumble a 'morning gorgeous'.
'Ive made you a coffee, but you probably dont want it! is the reply, followed by 'Im off to work'
I hear a 'Love you' followed by the sound of the front door closing.
I am just about to shut my eyes and go back to sleep when I smell the coffee. A few sips and I am awake and wondering what to do for the day. My first thought is to go out to the garage and continue sharpening chisels. (Yes, I live such an exciting life!) But on my way to the garage I think, hum, I wonder what the tides are like. A quick scan in the book reveals that low water is around 5am. I go outside, not a breath of wind but it is quite nippy.
Before sane thoughts reach my brain I have loaded my tackle into the van along with a pack of bluey.
Back indoors and I begin to have second thoughts about the stupidity of it all but force myself to get moving and change into some suitable thermal's and leave the house.
I sit in the van thinking of going vs not going but once again force myself to go.
10 minutes later and I am out of the van and my fingers are frozen as I load myself up and nip up over the sea wall and then down across the sand. Arriving pretty much on the turn of the tide I am quickly set up, today using a pair of Primo Syncro's and green Mag elites. Having not swung a lead for a while, I ease myself into a gentle pendulum cast and send the bait out around 100 yds. Second cast I wade out a little way, going slow and steady in the cold darkness all the while sensing for a rogue wave that may cause me some annoyance, like drowning for example! All is good as I continue to wade out, the water shallowing as I edge up a sand bar. With the water back around my knees I wind up a more powerful cast, this time sending a small bluey bait about 150yds into the darkness. By the time I wade ashore and put the rod on the rest, the reel is pretty empty! If I hook something that decides to run (unlikely) Ill have to follow it!
With time approaching bait change o'clock I get a little rattle on the distance rod, so wind in the closer one first. Result, a crab chewed bait. Fresh bluey on and cast back out, this time to the inside gully, about 50 yrds. The distance rod then gets wound in to find a dogfish lip hooked by the top circle hook of the pennell rig I am using. With the tide on its way in I know I wont be wading far as the inner gully will be a bit deep, especially in the dark so I walk out to knee depth before letting fly a well executed cast. Its funny how the muscles remember what to do!
Two bait up's later and the tide is coming in quickly and I constantly being pushed further up the beach. No bites are signalled and at 7:30am as day light filters through the clouds I pack up and head home. Rayless!
Considering how I have lost my angling mojo these last 5 years (Lack of Cod, I wont chase fish that are not there or travel to catch a few small ones further up country) and how I literally had to force myself to go this morning, I actually enjoyed myself. Ok, it was just for a few hours, but sometimes that is enough.
'Ive made you a coffee, but you probably dont want it! is the reply, followed by 'Im off to work'
I hear a 'Love you' followed by the sound of the front door closing.
I am just about to shut my eyes and go back to sleep when I smell the coffee. A few sips and I am awake and wondering what to do for the day. My first thought is to go out to the garage and continue sharpening chisels. (Yes, I live such an exciting life!) But on my way to the garage I think, hum, I wonder what the tides are like. A quick scan in the book reveals that low water is around 5am. I go outside, not a breath of wind but it is quite nippy.
Before sane thoughts reach my brain I have loaded my tackle into the van along with a pack of bluey.
Back indoors and I begin to have second thoughts about the stupidity of it all but force myself to get moving and change into some suitable thermal's and leave the house.
I sit in the van thinking of going vs not going but once again force myself to go.
10 minutes later and I am out of the van and my fingers are frozen as I load myself up and nip up over the sea wall and then down across the sand. Arriving pretty much on the turn of the tide I am quickly set up, today using a pair of Primo Syncro's and green Mag elites. Having not swung a lead for a while, I ease myself into a gentle pendulum cast and send the bait out around 100 yds. Second cast I wade out a little way, going slow and steady in the cold darkness all the while sensing for a rogue wave that may cause me some annoyance, like drowning for example! All is good as I continue to wade out, the water shallowing as I edge up a sand bar. With the water back around my knees I wind up a more powerful cast, this time sending a small bluey bait about 150yds into the darkness. By the time I wade ashore and put the rod on the rest, the reel is pretty empty! If I hook something that decides to run (unlikely) Ill have to follow it!
With time approaching bait change o'clock I get a little rattle on the distance rod, so wind in the closer one first. Result, a crab chewed bait. Fresh bluey on and cast back out, this time to the inside gully, about 50 yrds. The distance rod then gets wound in to find a dogfish lip hooked by the top circle hook of the pennell rig I am using. With the tide on its way in I know I wont be wading far as the inner gully will be a bit deep, especially in the dark so I walk out to knee depth before letting fly a well executed cast. Its funny how the muscles remember what to do!
Two bait up's later and the tide is coming in quickly and I constantly being pushed further up the beach. No bites are signalled and at 7:30am as day light filters through the clouds I pack up and head home. Rayless!
Considering how I have lost my angling mojo these last 5 years (Lack of Cod, I wont chase fish that are not there or travel to catch a few small ones further up country) and how I literally had to force myself to go this morning, I actually enjoyed myself. Ok, it was just for a few hours, but sometimes that is enough.
